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Alums Share Wisdom About Gentleman's Rule

a man sitting in a room

Senior John Penn calls it the rule that “makes a Wabash man who he is,” and Sunday evening he was among a group of current students and alumni who met with incoming freshman across campus for conversations about the College’s Gentleman’s Rule: ‘The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen.’

a man in a white shirt and tie talking to a man in a blackboard

The Gentleman’s Rule is the one rule that guides student behavior at Wabash. It’s a lodestar that students and alumni take seriously, so in 2005 then-Dean of Students Tom Bambrey ’68 began involving alumni in these conversations during freshman orientation, and Dean of Students Mike Raters ’85 continues the tradition. Last Friday, Raters spoke to these alumni volunteers as they prepared to meet with freshman: ‘We want them to walk into college life not with a rulebook, but a rule, and a rule that will serve them for life.’

a group of people sitting at tables

‘The reason we ask you to do this is that you’re Wabash men,’ Raters told the alumni volunteers. ‘You have been through this, and you see this experience through many different lenses, can speak from many different perspectives.’

a man in a white shirt talking to another man

Friday's meeting brought together alums who've had these conversations before and young alums helping to lead these talks for the first time. Here, Steve Hoffman ’85 talks with 'rookie' Alex Moseman ’12.

a man in a red shirt

At Friday's prep meeting, Raters invited alums to share their experiences leading the conversations. Here Marc Welch ’99 talks with Joe Klen ’96.

a man in a red shirt

Coach Antoine Carpenter ’00 was among the alumni leading the Gentleman's Rule conversations.

a man standing in front of a group of people

On Sunday evening in Baxter Hall, Hoffman asked everyone in the room to introduce themselves, then asked: 'What did you think when you first heard about the Gentleman's Rule?'

a group of people sitting around a table

The freshman offered some surprising answers: 'When I told people I was going to Wabash, people would say Wabash had no rules'; 'You could do whatever you want as long as you did it like a gentleman'; 'I was afraid people would think we’re not very strict.'

a group of men sitting at a table

Other freshmen found the rule encouraging and a difference maker in their choosing Wabash: 'It shows the confidence Wabash has in freshmen'; 'I had expected a book of rules, and other colleges had books of rules, but Wabash was different, expected you to be able to take care of yourself'; 'I thought it would be something I could handle, something most people could handle.'

a man in red shirt pointing at another man

Jacob Burnett ’15 (right) said that 'the rule was a way for me to break free from my childhood, to take responsibility for myself.'

a group of men sitting in a classroom

Jon Penn ’14: 'How you respond to the Gentleman’s Rule is what makes a Wabash man who he is. It guides you from being a boy to being a man.'

a man sitting at a table

Alex Moseman ’11: 'I think of it as an expectation: Rules are made to be broken, expectations are made to be met.'

a man holding a pen

Hoffman ’85: 'At Wabash, you're part of something bigger than yourself. The Gentleman's Rule is a constant reminder of that.'

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Jacob Burnett ’14 listens to a freshman's question.

a man sitting in a chair with his hand up

When a freshman noted that he’s usually heard the term 'gentleman' in the context of being courteous to women, Moseman asked, 'How is being a gentleman different in a college for men?' He asked for examples, and one freshman responded: 'Having your friend's back in a time of need.'

a group of people sitting in a room

A freshman asked Jon Penn ’14: 'When you broke the Gentleman's Rule, did you feel like you had let others down, because others before had lived up to the rule?' Penn: 'If you break it, you feel a churning in your gut, like disappointing your parents for the first time. But the way you grow from that molds you into a Wabash man.'

a group of men sitting at a table

Freshmen enjoy one of the lighter moments of Sunday's conversation.

a man in a red shirt sitting at a table

Hoffman ’85 and Burnett ’14

a group of men sitting in a room

Freshmen listen to former Dean of Students and former Director of Athletics Tom Bambrey ’68 talk about the Gentleman's Rule.

a man pointing at something

Bambrey ’68: 'After all these years, I still wrestle with the Gentleman's Rule, to live up to it. Yes, it gets broken. You will break the Gentleman's Rule while you’re here. How you respond to that will define you, make you better.'

a group of people sitting in chairs writing on paper

Wes Chamblee ’12 took notes during a Gentleman's Rule conversation when he was a freshman in 2008…

a man standing in front of a chalkboard

…and returned this year to talk with incoming freshmen.

a man in glasses smiling in front of a chalkboard

'Everyone here wants you to succeed; don’t be too proud to ask for help.'

a red bench with lions on it

The Senior Bench painted WAF—'Wabash Always Fights'—Sunday took on a different meaning on an evening when Wabash men were discussing the lifelong rewards and challenges of living up to the Gentleman's Rule.

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